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Stay safe on Brighton beach this bank holiday weekend

Gary Hart August 26, 2016

Thousands of sun seekers are expected to flock to the city this weekend, to enjoy a sunny August Bank Holiday on the beach.

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While the city welcomes visitors, Brighton & Hove City Council staff are keen to make sure they return home safely, and leave the beach litter free.

Lifeguards are urging swimmers to take care, while Cityclean staff are reminding beachgoers not to take glass onto the beach, to follow the rules for barbecues and make full use of the litter and recycling bins.

Follow these few rules to enjoy a happy and safe Bank Holiday weekend:

Sea safety:

♦ Only swim within the areas patrolled by lifeguards. These are clearly marked with red and yellow flags.

♦ Even on a calm day sea currents, undertow or a sudden change in weather can create life threatening hazards without warning.

♦ The sea temperature can also be deceptive. Never go into the sea after drinking alcohol.

♦ Never jump off any structure directly into the sea – you can never be sure how deep the water is below.

♦ Swim close to the shore, do not swim to far out

♦ Ask for advice from the beach lifeguards

♦ Swim with a friend and stay together

Barbecues on the beach:

You are welcome to light a barbecue after 6pm on quieter areas of the beach,

However, barbecues must not be used:

♦ Between the two piers in Brighton
♦ Between Hove Street and Fourth Avenue (this is the area between the end of Hove Lawns and King Alfred Leisure Centre car park)
♦ On Hove Lawns or its surrounding areas such as behind the beach huts, on the promenade or its surrounding walls
♦ Leaving hot stones or charcoal on the beach is dangerous. Remember to clear up after you leave and use the special barbecue bins provided by the council

Never put barbecues in waste or recycling bins, even if you think they have stopped smouldering.

Litter:

The council will be putting out extra recycling and litter bins along the seafront and even on the beach itself to make it easy to dispose of litter.  Look out for special bins for disposing of barbecues.

♦ Recycling bins take cans, tins, plastic bottles, card and paper. There are separate recycling bins for glass.

♦ Do not take glass on to the beach. Smashed glass is dangerous and difficult to clean up from among the pebbles.

Cllr Gill Mitchell
Cllr Gill Mitchell

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the city’s environment committee, said: “People love coming here to relax and soak up the atmosphere and the beach is one of our greatest attractions.

“We want to encourage people to enjoy our beaches but also take pride in them and help us keep them safe, clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy.

“We would urge swimmers to stay within the areas patrolled by our lifeguards and never swim after drinking alcohol.

 “Cityclean do a great job keeping spaces clean and collecting rubbish, but if everyone picked up just one piece of litter it would greatly help keep down the volumes we see left behind following a hot weekend.”

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